Robert C. (Bob) Long (born August 5, 1959) is an American professional baseball umpire. Born in

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem was one ...

, and raised in

Randolph, Massachusetts Randolph is a suburban city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, the city population was 34,984. Randolph adopted a charter effective January 2010 providing for a council-manager form of government instead of the ...

, Long began umpiring at the age of thirteen in the South Randolph Little League where his father was in charge of the umpires.After graduating from Randolph High School in 1977, Long attended the Joe Brinkman Umpire School in 1982. His professional career began that same year when he was assigned to the

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

, after which he was promoted to the

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

. After two years, he was then promoted to the Double A Eastern League. During that time he also umpired in the

Venezuelan Winter League The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (, or LVBP) is the top-level professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Background and predecessors Baseball had been play ...

. Following his four years, in the Eastern League, Long was promoted to the Triple-A

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

. While in the International League, his contract was purchased by the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

. Long worked 12 games in the National League in 1992 and 1993. His last year as a full-time professional umpire was 1993, but he continued to work in Triple-A as needed until 2017 when he retired from professional baseball. He is a member of the Randolph High School Hall of Fame and the Cranberry Baseball League Hall of Fame. He continues to work amateur baseball in the Boston area and speak and teach about the umpiring profession.

References

External links

Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Robert C. 1959 births People from Randolph, Massachusetts Baseball umpires Living people